Anyone can list the best players in the NBA, but basketball is as much about chemistry as it is about talent. Within each of the league’s 30 teams there is a hierarchy, and how well each of the five players on the court understands and fulfills his role within that hierarchy is every bit as important as his individual ability.
Ideally, a lineup has its superstar, a respectable co-star, a third star who owns his role, a fourth option and a fifth starter to tie it all together – clearing Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. In this series, we line up the five best players from each level for a broader look across the league. How close is your team to ideal alignment?
No. 1 options | No. 2 options
No. 3 options: The Third Stars Who Own Their Roles
What is No. 3? He’s still a star, at least on a good team, but he sacrifices some fraction of his game for the greater good of the team. He usually leans into his greatest skill, whether that’s flaming 3s or defending like crazy. Ideally, it’s both, and if you ask for more from your third star, he answers the call.
It’s a balance of reducing your role and remaining as effective as ever, and it’s the third star’s responsibility to strike it. Think Kevin Love on the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers. He arrived from a lottery team in Minnesota, where he was the No. 1 — and a completely different player at that, doing most of his damage inside 8 feet — but transitioned into a 3-and-D weapon behind LeBron James and Kyrie . Irving.
The greatest teams in NBA history had Hall of Fame talents who might have been even more productive on smaller rosters. You know them well: Robert Parish, James Worthy, Dennis Rodman, etc. They managed to understand their position in the pecking order and find their own way to thrive in it.
Without further ado, your top five #3s…
1. Paul George, Philadelphia 76ers
George was No. 1 and No. 2 on teams that reached the conference finals, and in Philadelphia he’s expected to be No. 3, joining recent MVP Joel Embiid and rising star Tyrese Maxey. How well George adapts to that role will go a long way toward dictating how well the Sixers play this season.
He has the skill. George is a four-time All-Defensive wing who shot 43.5% on catch-and-shoot 3s last season, and if that’s all he has to do in the space created by Embiid and Maxey, Philly will crush.
If there is ambiguity about who is billed second, ripples can disrupt chemistry across a roster. George is a nine-time All-Star who has subbed his skill set for fellow veterans Russell Westbrook and Kawhi Leonard. Will he do the same for Maxey, who is an unfinished product (albeit electric in its current state)?
You get the feeling that George is comfortable on the fringes, but if (when?) Embiid misses time, someone will have to serve as the Sixers’ No. 1, and Maxey wasn’t ready for that last season. Enter George, who has grown accustomed to spotting duty as a top pick – a luxury few No. 3s can provide. That said, switching back and forth between roles can be a tough road to navigate, even for a 34-year-old.
2. Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves
For all the jokes about Gobert, not many players star their roles as well as he does. He’s asked to defend, and he’s a four-time Defensive Player of the Year. He’s far less effective defending in space than he is as a rim protector, creating all kinds of problems against small-ball lineups, and he was stripped of his home country at points in the Olympics, but he was the anchor of the NBA’s best. defense last season.
Offensively, Gobert is no better than a fifth option, catching lobs and cleaning up misses around the basket. He is so talented defensively, however, that he is paid to be Minnesota’s third star, and for that he holds a certain importance on the roster. Mike Conley and Jaden McDaniels may attempt more shots and use a greater percentage of the team’s offensive possessions, but none of them can compete with Gobert’s resume as a three-time All-Star; nor are they a greater subject of an opponent’s game plan against them.
3. Kristaps Porzingis, Boston Celtics
It remains shocking that the Celtics cruised to the championship largely without Porziņģis. Sure, their opponents had their own injury concerns, but for the majority of the playoffs, Boston was missing a 7-foot-3 rim protector who can score effectively from every level — undoubtedly one of the league’s best third-string stars. Porziņģis averaged 24.4 points per 36 minutes on 52/38/86 shooting splits and warranted consideration for an All-Star nod last season, some six years after he made his debut.
Health is what keeps him from climbing higher on this list. Knee injuries have prevented him from making multiple All-Star appearances in that span, and a rare injury to his lower left leg will likely sideline him until at least Christmas. That gives Porziņģis plenty of time to work into shape for another playoff run, and that’s bad news for the rest of the league. Just look back at Game 1 of the NBA Finals for proof.
4. Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
Holmgren is the equivalent of an early version of Porziņģis, full of possibility. He shot 37% on 4.3 attempts from 3-point range per game and held opponents 15% lower than their season averages on shots around the rim. That’s all you have to do to be successful at 7-foot-1, and Holmgren can do a lot more. He can put the ball on the floor, keep it moving on the pass and win it from every level.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gets most of the credit for Oklahoma City’s push for the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed last season, and rightly so, but that young team was largely the same as the squad that failed to make it the finals a year earlier. The Thunder reinstated a healthy Holmgren, who played all 82 games, and suddenly they were and are a serious contender. This is what third stars do – unlock rosters.
5. Desmond Bane, Memphis Grizzlies
You could make a case here — or higher on this list — for Evan Mobley, DeMar DeRozan, Mikal Bridges or Draymond Green, but Bane isn’t a developmental project, adjusting to a new team or trying to turn back the clock. He’s just Desmond Bane, a wildly underrated hoopster, quietly averaging 22-5-5 on 47/40/88 shooting splits over his past two seasons in Memphis. He was almost an All-Star last season.
In the absence of Ja Morant last season, Bane became the primary choice on an injury-riddled roster, and then he missed 40 games. It was a nightmare year in Memphis. This season, he will return to his role as a fringe contender, behind All-Stars Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. When the three of them played together in 2022-23, the Grizzlies outscored opponents by 11.7 points per 100 possessions, winning 51 games. . That’s the team Memphis will reintroduce to the basketball world, where Bane deserves your attention.
Honorable mentions
6. Evan MobleyCleveland Cavaliers
7. DeMar DeRozanSacramento Kings
8. Mikal BridgesNew York Knicks
The rest
9. Draymond GreenGolden State Warriors; 10. Myles TurnerIndiana Pacers; 11. Chris MiddletonMilwaukee Bucks; 12. Dejounte MurrayNew Orleans Pelicans; 13. Fred VanVleetHouston Rockets; 14. Bradley BealPhoenix Suns; 15. Coby WhiteChicago Bulls; 16. Jalen JohnsonAtlanta Hawks; 17. Brandon MillerCharlotte Hornets; 18. Michael Porter Jr.Denver Nuggets; 19. Klay ThompsonDallas Mavericks; 20. Jalen SuggsOrlando Magic; 21. Tyler HerroMiami Heat; 22. Austin ReavesLos Angeles Lakers; 23. Ivica ZubacLos Angeles Clippers; 24. Immanuel QuickleyToronto Raptors; 25. Cameron JohnsonBrooklyn Nets; 26. Malcolm BrogdonWashington Wizards; 27. Jeremy SochanSan Antonio Spurs; 28. John CollinsUtah Jazz; 29. Jaden IveyDetroit Pistons; 30. Scoot HendersonPortland Trail Blazers.
